HC orders re-sealing of Delhi's Connaught hotel

The hotel's lease had been terminated in 1995, and after a lengthy court battle, it was sealed in February last year after the HC cleared the decks for eviction and recovery proceedingsTNN | Updated: May 21, 2016, 09:04 IST

NEW DELHI: Four days after New Delhi Municipal Council's estate officer M M Khan was shot dead, the Delhi high court on Friday ordered the re-sealing of The Connaught hotel owned by Prominent Hotels Ltd. The hotel's lease had been terminated in 1995, and after a lengthy court battle, it was sealed in February last year after the HC cleared the decks for eviction and recovery proceedings.

Khan was in charge of that.

Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw in his order declined to extend the earlier permission given to de-seal the hotel premises and made it clear that the relief was only meant to be temporary in nature. The court told NDMC it wouldn't stand in the way of its sealing and recovery proceedings, and that the civic agency doesn't need permission for re-sealing. "In February last year, Prominent filed a writ saying it needs to clear the belongings of its guests from the hotel and sought permission to de-seal the property. While the court granted permission, NDMC did not make it clear that it would re-seal the property. Based on this technicality, the hotel asked us to get permission again," said an New Delhi Municipal Corporation official.

Currently, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is levied at 12 per cent on payments made for under-construction property or ready-to-move-in flats where completion certificate has not been issued at the time of sale.